Covert
by Center of the Galaxy
Summary: Her assignment had been simple: protect Captain America at all costs and keep her true identity a secret. Yet as time went by, Sharon found herself becoming more and more attached to her fake identity. But most importantly, she found herself falling for him. *Agent 13/Sharon Carter-centric story, hints of Sharon/Steve, pre-Captain America 2*


_**Author's Note: **__So, I saw Captain America 2 and loved every moment of it. When I saw Agent 13 on the screen in her first scene with Steve, I knew I had to write a fanfic. So, this is set about six months before Captain America 2. This will be a story about their growing relationship and just Agent 13 centric in general. Please enjoy!_

* * *

"_I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be."_

—_Douglas Adams_

* * *

"Director Fury will see you now."

Sharon rose from her chair, her golden blonde hair slightly falling in her face. She pulled it back, embarrassed, and followed the secretary towards Fury's office. She pushed open the glass doors and was blown away by the view of the city. She could see everything from here and it was breathtaking. So many skyscrapers! There was a perfect view of the Capital and if she craned her neck, she swore she could see the White House. Still, she felt immensely out of place. She'd only been with S.H.I.E.L.D. for a few months, barely had level three security clearance and now here she was, about to come face to face with the Director himself. She hadn't been on many missions—come to think of it, she hadn't been on any really—and as such, she couldn't really think of any reason why Fury would want to see her.

"Enjoying the view, Agent Carter?" She jumped, and blushed as Fury appeared before her. She quickly moved aside as the Director moved to his chair and motioned for her to sit.

"Y-yes, sir." She stammered. Tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, she waited for the Director to speak.

"Do you know why I've asked you to come in today?" Fury regarded her curiously, almost as if he was sizing her up. Why, she wasn't sure. What could he want with such a low level agent like herself?

"No, sir."

"I've got a mission for you." Her eyes widened; a mission from the Director himself? He pushed a manila folder to her. Carefully, she opened it and let her eyes scan the pages. This file contained information on Captain America—where he lived, his phone number, his vital stats, as well as a history of his life and various battles.

"This is . . ." Her voice trailed off as the information settled in. She was teaming with Captain America? What were the chances of that?

"You're on guard duty."

The secretary stood in the doorway.

"Sir—?" Sharon stammered. This was happening too fast. Why her? What made her so worthy of protecting S.H.I.E.L.D.'s greatest asset?

"Sir, Agent Hill is on line one—"

Fury waved her off before rising from his chair.

"For this mission, you shall be referred to as Agent 13. Your cover is Linda Hall, a nurse at George Washington University Hospital." He pushed another folder towards her, this one full of her cover's backstory and basic stats. An apartment had been set up for her, right across the hall from Captain America's. "Get close to him, but not too close. I have already planted bugs just in case." Her eyebrows rose with that, but she didn't question him on it. "You are to patrol and report anything straight to me. Engage any enemies before they get to the Captain. Is that understood?" She practically jumped up from her chair and nodded her head vigorously. "Good." He brushed past her on his way to the door. "I'll be in touch." Then, he disappeared around the bend.

"Wait," She glanced at the picture of the handsome Steve Rogers. Then, her eyes moved to her cover. "What just happened here?" How did she, a rookie agent in all senses of the word, get assigned to protect a living national treasure? How did she go from another anonymous worker to suddenly coming face to face with the director?

"You better get going." The secretary commented, breaking into her train of thought.

"Right." Sharon muttered, collecting her things and heading out the door.

First things first, she supposed.

Time to check out her new apartment.

* * *

The apartment was tastefully decorated and homey.

Big windows let sunlight stream in and sparkled on the wooden floors. A white sofa was soft to the touch as she ran her fingers across from it. Her bedroom had silky sheets in her favorite shade of blue. The fridge and pantry were stocked with all her favorites and she wondered dimly how much info S.H.I.E.L.D. had on her. Still, there were far worse missions to be on. She tugged on a pair of pink scrubs and decided it was time to scope out the hallway. If she was going to be able to protect Captain America, she needed to get to know her surroundings. As she opened her apartment's door, she nearly tripped on a rug that she hadn't even noticed. Stumbling into the hall, she bumped into something that felt as immovable as a brick wall.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, berating herself for being so clumsy on her first day of her assignment. This is why she has been on desk duty for so long. Geez, her great aunt would have a field day with this one!

"No," A deep voice returned and she stiffened, her gaze immediately darting to the owner of the arms that now steadied her. The bluest eyes she had ever seen met her gaze and her mouth almost fell open in shock. "It was my fault. I didn't look around the corner."

Captain America was standing before her.

She was star struck for the briefest of seconds before her training kicked in and a tight smile graced her lips. Get close, but not too close. She couldn't let herself get personally attached. She detangled herself from his arms and nervously pulled on a curl of her hair.

"I'm Linda Hall," Sharon began, extending her hand. "I just moved in today."

"Steve Rogers." He returned with an easygoing grin. His grip on her hand was strong and warm.

"I didn't know Captain America lived in my building." She had to play the part, but not too well. She wanted him to be able to come to her, not find her annoying. "Guess this building really is safe." He chuckled at that, though it honestly wasn't her best attempt at humor. Maybe he really was just too nice.

"Well, I do my best."

She beamed at him, trying to get a read on how he felt about her. Then, on cue, her wristwatch beeped.

"Oh!" She faked being flustered. "My shift is about to start." She picked up her purse, which she conveniently had grabbed on her way out. A hospital badge lay nestled inside. She picked it up and pinned it on her scrubs. "I hope to see you around, Steve." She shot him one more smile before vanishing around the corner. Letting out a small breath, she ran a hand through her hair. Well, in terms of first meetings, it hadn't gone awfully, but it wasn't her best either.

Still, this was her first assignment. She would grow and improve. She would make her great aunt proud.

"I'll have to visit her later." She nodded to herself before making her way down the hall. She would need to re-enter her apartment through the window and go over all the mission parameters. In a few hours, she would break out and come back through the front door so as to not arouse suspicion from Steve.

* * *

"Sir?"

He glanced up and motioned for Maria Hill to enter the office. His second-in-command was nervous, per the norm. Maria was a competent agent who took orders well, but she often let her emotions cloud her judgment. She needed to school herself on how to remain calm. Maybe that was one of the reasons Fury had chosen her out of all the more qualified applicants.

"Yes, Hill?" He put down the paperwork he'd been looking at—the plans on the drones were coming along well—and met her concerned gaze.

"They told me that you sent Agent 13 on the surveillance job?" By her perplexed expression, he could tell that she was questioning his judgment. It him then—that's why he had picked her for this position. She was the only one gutsy enough to question him. "I sent you at least a dozen, highly qualified field agents—"

"What Agent 13 lacks for in experience, she makes up for in charm."

Maria balked.

"Come again?" She echoed and Fury chuckled dryly.

"She doesn't seem like a spy, does she?"

"No, I guess not."

"Which means that the Captain will not pick up on her true intentions."

"I suppose so." Maria muttered, her lips in a tight line.

"Just give her a chance," Fury told her, rising from his chair. "She might surprise you."

And with that, he headed out into the hallway, leaving a bewildered Maria behind.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__I can't seem to find any info on what Agent 13 used from her pseudonym and I can't remember if they actually said her fake name during the movie. Apologies for that. I hope you enjoyed though! I really love Agent 13 so I hope you'll stick around. Please review if you have a second. Thanks! _


End file.
